robabram

I often use a Tascam DR-05 for my sound recording. Decent quality audio and not too expensive. I think they have the same grey market issues as cameras; try to get a legal version for wherever you live. I've only done one proper video to date with my Z6 and it turned out well. That's probably more than you want to spend, but there should be lots of mirrorless cameras suited to your needs. As said above, the trick is the lens. Depending on what you're doing, a zoom may not be necessary, but decent autofocus almost certainly is. White balance can probably be fixed in post, but it's way better to do it in the camera.

Ok, you guys have convinced me to buy a sound recorder. I thought they were more expensive, but the two recommended so far are both very reasonably priced. I'm looking at the Zoom H1n and the Tascam DR-05x. Is one a better brand or recorder than the other? I will do my own research, but just in case there's a clearly better option, I thought I'd ask.

By the way, I answer tons of beginner rock tumbling questions every day, so I know how time consuming it is and I appreciate all the help I'm getting here.

Rob

Robabram, could you post a link to one of your Youtubes? I would like to see what you have done so far..

Sure James, but you're probably going to find this video very boring. Some people like this stuff. This video has a good mix of all the types of shots I make. At the beginning, I think I had the lights too bright or something. The wide shot of me standing behind the table is at the lower end of the quality that I get for that type of shot. The wide shot is from a GoPro and the close ups at the beginning are from the Sony camera mounted two meters away on the ceiling.

At 5:33 the Sony camera is moved very close to the table.

At 10:30, you'll see a different sort of shot that I do. I have mounting areas around my shop so I can show my work at various machines. A small amount of mist is in the air with rock dust in it. For this reason, I don't want to spend a fortune on a camera.

From about 10:53 to 11:00, you'll see my hands change color.

Thank you, Joe, for taking the time to give me some advice.

I guess I forgot to mention that I have decent lights. I have two Yongnuo YN600L Pro LED video lights with soft box diffusers that I have set up on either side of my camera. I don't think I can set the white balance on my camera in video mode. Would most mirrorless cameras allow me to set white balance in video mode?

I have thought about a separate sound recorder, but they always seemed pretty expensive. I'll take a look at the Zoom you suggested.

I still have the problem of getting my camera to zoom in from a close distance. As I mentioned, my camera has to be at least two meters away to be able to zoom in. This is important to me. I would like to be able to have it a little closer. I don't know what to look for in the specs to find that number. Someone else on a forum told me what it was for my camera, but I still can't find it. Do you know what that distance is called?

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it.

Rob

Fixed lens cameras are usually a bit poor at close or fast focussing, and getting something to focus at 3 to 6 inches reliably is asking a bit much unless you have a dedicated macro lens ($$$$$!).

 

By fixed lens, I mean a camera where you can't remove the lens and replace it with another. I think an interchangeable lens camera is what you need, and there are dozens, if not hundreds to choose from. The camera body then becomes less important than the lens you attach to it.

 

The way round this is to turn off autofocus and set the focus of the lens manually. Your existing camera may already allow this.

 

The other thing is lighting. Do you have dedicated lights for your videos, or are you relying on domestic lighting? Domestic lighting is usually too dim and inconsistent for video, or any sort of photography with any pretence to looking 'professional'. So I suggest you set some budget aside for lighting if you haven't already thought about this.

 

Decent and even lighting would allow you to set a fixed exposure and colour balance, thereby avoiding distracting changes. Better lighting would also allow the AF system of almost any camera to work more reliably.

 

I'm not going to recommend a specific camera since there's just too much choice out there. All I'll say is that a mirrorless (not DSLR) type camera will probably be most suitable for your needs.

 

From your description it sounds as if you're shooting 'blind' and relying heavily on camera automation. Therefore having a big clear viewfinder doesn't sound like a priority. Maybe having an LCD screen with a good range of swivel angle is more use?

 

WRT sound recording. If you're editing the footage from two cameras, why not use a separate recorder - a little 'Zoom' for example. You can then place it wherever you like and you're not having to stretch your camera budget for one with a decent pre-amp stage. Because no camera is going to supply phantom power for a good-quality condenser mic.

I have a YouTube channel that is growing, and I think I need to upgrade my camera. My channel is about rock collecting and lapidary arts (polishing rocks and making things from rocks). Some of my videos are done in my basement shop where I demonstrate how to use various equipment or I just show some polished rocks. I use two cameras at the same time and then alternate between a wide shot and close ups in my finished video.

My current set up is a demonstration table where I stand and show rocks. I have a GoPro set up right in front of me on a tripod to get a wide shot. it's not the perfect camera for this, but I'm happy with it for now. To get close ups of my hands, I have a Sony Cyber-shot

DSC-HX200V mounted behind the GoPro on the ceiling. The Sony camera is zoomed in to show a close up of my hands. When I originally set this up, I was having trouble zooming with the camera so close. I was told by someone that my camera has to be two meters from the subject in order to zoom in without being blurry. I would love to know what specification to look for to find that length. I would like a new camera that is cabable of being closer and is still be able to zoom in. I'm not happy with having to climb on top of a table every time I want to use this camera, and the picture is still not great.

Another thing that I do with this camera is set it up just a few inches (3-6 inches) from my table and show rocks one at a time. When I do this, the camera sometimes has trouble focusing as I set one rock down and pick up another. I also have a problem with white balance (I think that's what it is). My hands change colors throughout the video.

Finally, I want a camera with microphone input.

Photography is not my hobby. Rocks are my hobby. I need a decent camera to be able to get good video quality that will keep my YouTube viewers happy. I don't want to spend a fortune on a camera, but I do have some Youtube income that I am willing to spend.

I'm hoping someone here can help me pick out a new or used camera that will help me improve my videos. Thanks for your help.

@Ed_Ingold I just got a chance to go try my camera from two meters away. It works perfectly. You just saved me a ton of frustration, time, and money. Thank you so much!!!

Rob

Thank you Ed. There are some really good ideas here.

I just made a video last night where I did the wide shot and then replayed it on my computer while I did the close ups. It worked surpassingly well, although I feel like I lucked out with some of the sounds. For example, setting down a rock makes a noise and I used the sound from the wide shot and the video from the close shot and it was not noticeably off. This was a pretty simple video thought and it will be harder with more complicated hand movements.

I don't know what a lot of the stuff is in your bulleted list, but I'm going to look it all up and research it. I am making a bit of money from YouTube, so I have a few dollars to spend. I don't want to get carried away with camera equipment, but if it makes my life easier and my videos better, I don't mind spending some of my income.

I'm excited to try moving my camera two meters away and then try zooming. Where did you find that information? I wasn't even sure what specs to look at for that. If I can get the camera to focus on my hands, everything is going to be easy from there.

Thanks again. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond in detail.

Rob

Hi. I'm a fairly new video maker. I'm making videos about rock hunting and lapidary arts. I am trying to improve videos that I make in my basement, showing how to tumble rocks, among other things. I would like to be able to shoot a video of myself standing behind a table showing rocks or other small items. I want a wide shot of my head and torso as well as close ups of my hands showing a rock that I'm talking about. I have a Sony DSC-HX200/HX200V point and shoot camera and a GoPro Hero 7 Black. I have the GoPro on a tripod and the Sony camera hanging from the ceiling above my table. It's the Sony camera that I need help with. I need to keep it far enough away from the table that it isn't in the shot from the tripod camera, but I want close up shots from it. I tried zooming in, but the video was blurry. I think I'm too close (about 4 feet) to use the zoom. If I just crop the unzoomed video in Final Cut Pro, the resolution isn't good enough to produce a good video (it's only HD, not 4K). Is there a way to make this setup work with my current equipment? If not, can you recommend a camera that would do the trick? I'd like to keep my costs as low as possible if I need to buy a new camera. I'm not opposed to buying something used either.

I have also tried shooting the videos separately from the wider shot. The problem is, that when I'm talking, I'm pointing to something on a rock. It's really hard to reproduce the same motions at a later time and get it to sync up with what I'm saying.

Thanks for the help,

Rob